"Now," said he, "Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves to him. The rest dispersed themselves through the camp, and each man sought to hide his shame in the solitude of his own tent. Then said Moses to the men of Levi :-" Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour." And they did so, and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

It seems to us a terrible punishment for such a sin as that they had been guilty of, great as that sin was, and as they knew it to be: but it was not the idolatry in itself that made the greatness of their guilt, but the disobedience involved in that idolatry. And probably nothing short of some such infliction as that which had just fallen upon them, could have made on such a people as they were any strong and permanent impression. What had passed already showed that they were not to be kept in the path of duty by gentle warning or tender admonitions ;-and the whole course of God's providence shows to us, that when these are not sufficient to secure obedience, he has sterner and sharper agents of compulsion, and that He is not to be turned from his purpose by the suffering that his rebellious children have brought upon their own heads. If we do not listen to the whispers of the gentle wind, the voice of the thunder can yet speak, and the deadly bolt of the lightning can destroy. When He says, "Thou shalt not;" and we reply by our sinful deeds, we will do as best pleaseth us"- -we must not murmur even if the next voice is an echo of that command, from the grave. "God does not speak for nought."

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But the displeasure of Jehovah with his people did not end here. When Moses returned to the Lord, and besought him to forgive the sin of Israel, He replied that He would go with them no farther— that it was even better for themselves that He should not, for if they should sin again as they had done this day, perhaps He should break forth upon them in His anger, and destroy them. God said therefore that He would send an angel with them, and he should drive their enemies before them, and lead them by the way they were to follow towards the promised land. And when the people heard these tidings they were dismayed. They knew what this It was as if God were forsaking them, were casting them off, refusing to acknowledge them as His children, or to call Himself their God. They mourned, and put off their ornaments, as if they had lost their Father, and were now an orphan people. Again Moses prayed and pleaded for the repentant wanderers, until at

meant.

length God, merciful and long suffering, forgave their transgression, and said once more to His Servant, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." And Moses said, "If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all nations that are upon the face of the earth. Ex. xxviii. 13—16.

After this, Moses again went up into the mountain, and having provided himself with new tables of stone, received from God the remainder of the Law, and inscribed it thereon. Afterwards, when he had again joined the people on the plain, he erected a Tabernacle, according to directions very particularly given. This seems to have been somewhat in the form of a large tent, or rather enclosure, formed partly of wood, and partly of canvass or curtains, the whole richly ornamented with such offerings of gold, silver, or jewels, as the wealth of a wandering people could furnish. It was intended to serve as a Temple during their pilgrimage, and was therefore so constructed that it could be easily taken down, transported, and reerected. In this were the Altar of Incense, the Golden Candlestick the table of Shew Bread, and the Ark of the Covenant, which con-' tained the Book of the Law, and in it were to be performed all the more sacred ceremonies of their religion. And we are told that when, after several months of labour, it was at length completed, a cloud rested upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. And ever after, during their wanderings, it was a recognised sign among the people, that whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, they were to journey onwards;-but that where the cloud rested, there they halted, and till it again rose from the Tabernacle, there they tarried. "For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys."

(To be continued.)

I cannot shun the stroke of death:
Lord, help me to surmount the fear,
That, when I must resign my breath,
Serene I may my summons hear.

Let all my hope and treasure lie
Where in thy light I light may see;

The soul may freely dare to die

That longs to be possessed of thee.

66 MINISTERING CHILDREN."

"MAMA," said little Jane, as they left a shop where her mother had been buying her some new lambs wool stockings, "may I give my old socks to the little girl whose grandmother is coming to see you to-morrow?"

"I am afraid they would not be large enough," replied Mrs. Mansfield, "but I have some worsted stockings of your brother's that would be sure to fit her; if you like to spend a little of your play time every day in mending them neatly enough to be worn, then you shall have them to give the little girl."

Do you not think her grandmother could mend them, mama, as you do for us.”

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Yes, I dare say she could, but she is sure to have plenty of other things to do, and I could not let you give to the poor that which you had taken no pains to have ready for use and comfort." "But I do not know how to mend stockings, mama."

It is not very difficult; you could soon learn how to do it, and I think you would be very happy working for the poor little orphan girl."

"Yes, I should. Shall I begin to-day, mama?"

Yes, if you like, I will find the stockings for you as soon as I go home."

That afternoon little Jane began the stocking mending in her play hours, seated by her mother's side. After a while she sighed, and said, It is rather hard at first, mama.'

"So are a good many things at first, my child; would you like to give up doing them, and learn when you are older to mend stockings for yourself, instead of learning now for the poor?"

"Oh no, mama, how nice it will be when I have done one pair. May I keep them in my own box?"

Yes, you may have each pair as you finish them. You shall fold them up and keep them yourself; but if you get tired, and wish to give up doing them, you have only to tell me, I could not let you give up if I were teaching you for yourself, but no one should work unwillingly for the poor."

"I shall never like to give up, mama. I do not mind if it is a little hard."

And Jane worked busily on till her mother said, now you have done quite enough for one day, you can go to the nursery and play." And merry were the shouts of the happy child as she ran, fresh from her self-chosen office of love, across the nursery floor, with her little brother at play; and in two days more the first pair of

stockings were mended; Jane learned how to fold them up, then carried them safely to her own little trunk, and after she had shut the lid and turned away, she came back once more to see how nice they looked—all ready for the orphan child. It was the first labour of her hands for the poor and needy.

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Weeks passed away, and when the snow of new-year's-day lay thick upon the ground, six pair of mended stockings were all done, and in Jane's own trunk. Then came another visit from the old grandmother. Bless you, Miss," said she, as she took the piled up stockings from Jane's trembling hands, "would not Mercy have liked to come, but her poor feet are so bad with the chilblains, she can't put them to the ground; but won't they soon be well when she has run about a bit in these warm stockings!"

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They are all mended," said little Jane.

"Mama says they will do quite well; I did not know how to mend stockings before."

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Well, dear, it will be none the worse for you, that you have learned it for the poor and fatherless."

me.

THE GOOD THAT MAY BE GATHERED FROM
AN INFIRMITY.

(From the French of Emile Souvestre.)

A CHANCE meeting gave me courage, and taught me a lesson. At that time, there was, on the roadside leading from the town of Sarcelles to Ecouen, a small thatched house, with a little garden in front, where fruit, vegetables, and flowers, were planted without any order, but not without taste. There lived a poor working-man, whose acquaintance I made by chance, and who was a pattern for He was a foundling, first brought up in a charitable convent, and afterwards, having nothing else to depend upon, obliged to live by the coarsest work. Though deformed, wretched, and forsaken, he had been able to make up by a hearty good will, for all these deficiencies. At first he was employed for his energy, but gradually his energy turned into ability. His perseverance served instead of strength; his application instead of skill; and like the tortoise in the fable, he always arrived at the end before the hares, who had reckoned too much upon their nimbleness.

But God had laid an infirmity upon him, which seemed to fill up the measure of his misfortunes. Francis was afflicted with a confused stuttering, which one could not hear without laughing. As a

child, he had been a constant butt for the jokes of his companions, and, when he grew older, he became the amusement of the lads and young girls. To avoid their jokes, he forbade himself to speak unless it was indispensable; and in parties of pleasure he submitted to fill the part of a mute, so mortifying to our vanity.

But as he required an excuse for silence, he learnt to make coarse baskets of a basket-maker, and used to take his work to the winter parties round the fire, and the summer gossipping outside the doors. While the other young people were smoking, laughing, and talking, with their elbows on their knees, he plaited his osiers in silence. At first they had joked him on what they called his mania, but afterwards custom prevented them from noticing it.

Francis's affliction had thus induced him to employ those hours usefully, which were lost to his companions. He profited from it in another way. His half-tied tongue was spared all useless action; he only spoke when he had something to say, so, for the most part, he remained silent. But in this state of forced contemplation, his mind slowly ripened; he followed each of his thoughts attentively and without distraction, he recollected and meditated upon those which he heard pass between other people.

The sale of his baskets in the country increased his savings by little and little. His infirmity kept him apart from the lads of the village, and he thus escaped temptations to spend what he had thus saved. After some years he was rich enough to buy a bit of land, which he cultivated in his leisure moments, and the produce of which was even more profitable to him than his baskets. He then thought of building himself a house.

All

The little cottage rose slowly but surely; at last it was covered in, and the new owner could sleep under a roof of his own. this had taken ten years; Francis took ten more to complete his work and round off his domain. He dug a well, planted fruit-trees, collected bees, which multiplied their swarms, and bought two other fields, which he made his meadow and his orchard. When I knew him, he had cleared the difficult ditch which separates poverty from ease, he could afford to sacrifice a few fruit trees for the sake of a grass-plot, and some ears of corn for rose trees. His cottage, shaded by acacias, looked from the road like a hive in a bed of flowers.

It was then he told me what I have just related, not in a breath, but in short and often interrupted answers. Although Francis was no longer in want, he went on weaving his baskets as an occupation, and that he might have the right of not speaking. One day as I was going over his domain, and was expressing my admi